


you, darling

by fauchevalent



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, mmmm this is the Tropiest fic i've ever written bear with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 19:16:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11363892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fauchevalent/pseuds/fauchevalent
Summary: It turns out, he realizes, when they run into Vex's father, sometimes he forgets thing three (and subsequently, four), and just fucking drops his heart on the floor in front of her.





	you, darling

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own and am not associated with CR, but I love it a lot :)

Of three things, Percival de Rolo is certain.

1\. He is head over heels for Vex'ahlia.

2\. He has been since she found him.

And 3. He will never do a thing about it.

(This is because of thing number four, which is to say: he is a broken man. Shaken to the core by past events and not clear headed or present enough to be what she deserves. He doesn't count this among his certainties because, sometimes, Percy dares to hope otherwise.)

It turns out, he realizes, when they run into Vex's father, sometimes he forgets thing three (and subsequently, four), and just fucking drops his heart on the floor in front of her. He's examining the scroll - simple and unimpressive, really, his noble side grunts, unappreciative, but really that's just him wanting to be unimpressed with Syldor - when he does it, like an idiot. The words are out of his mouth before he really has a say in them at all, a finger that Vax would probably call "poncy" extended distastefully at the names. He's not even sure what he's doing at first, his arm extending across Keyleth and handing the list back, brushing his hands clean of it as he decides, "It's _Lady_ Vex'ahlia."  
He hears Keyleth's voice saying  _smitten_ in his head, watches her freeze (watches  _everybody else freeze_ , damn it de Rolo, what are you doing?), but his eyes are drawn to Vex - her hands clasped over her mouth and eyes writ with something like a thrill. So he continues, because of course he does - lists off the title he couldn't imagine giving to anyone but her, the title that you have to earn, because Vex could never be satisfied with a title she felt undeserving of. His eyes are sharp, trained on Syldor, but in his periphery, Percy can see Vex, still reeling over the shock, but revealing a smile, nearly  _laughing_ \- and he feels successful. Percy doesn't hesitate to push further - a tilt of his head and a fold of his hands and a...  _gentle_ encouragement to watch his manners with Vex.  
(It's Vex's smile, hand twirling into her hair, that tells him he did something right, the pleased little face she makes when Syldor apologizes to her and she replies primly, "Well, you didn't know.")

Hours after, when the rest of their party have gone to bed and Percy is certain he's the only one who remains awake, she finds him - because  _of course she does_ , he thinks to himself with a smile - and she presses a hand against his chest.

"You didn't need to do that, you know." She tells him, but the smile on her face gives her away and he chuckles.

"I very often do things I don't need to do."

He is ever so grateful that she doesn't ask him why he did it, instead straightening out his rumpled shirt and furling a hand into the top. "I know." She says, after a minute, and they smile at each other for a moment before she adds, "I think we've earned a drink, Percy."

"Lead the way." He agrees, and she uncurls her fingers from him and backs out of his personal space.

Percy is not surprised that they find themselves sharing a flask beneath the stars. It feels oddly appropriate, strange and uncertain, but comfortable just the same. There's no particular reason why she chose the outside, she tells him a few drinks in, except for she wanted to see the North Star tonight.  
Sure enough, when he looks up, there it is. Vex grins when he points it out. "Smart boy," she says softly, and Percy feels the underlying praise warm his cheeks.

"That one's the Big Dipper." He tells her, and she follows his finger to find it in the night sky. 

"Beautiful," she says. Percy hums an assent, though he doesn't mean the constellation. 

She finds his eyes on her and smiles. 

"What?"

"Nothing," he murmurs. "Just star gazing."

* * *

 

The first thought Percy has upon waking up is  _I must've been very drunk last night_. He remembers star gazing with Vex, thinking  _I've never been up this long with her before_ , and then he woke up at home.

Except, they weren't at Whitestone right now, were they? He blinks the cloudiness from his eyes and ascertains that  _yes,_ this  _is_ Whitestone - the curtains are a heavy blue velvet and the Whitestone crest sits on the door across from the bed he's in.   
His bed?   
He isn't sure, actually. His mind is very suddenly occupied with the realization that there is a weight beside him, warm and soft and with a hand draped over his stomach. His first thought is Cassandra, but they haven't shared a bed since they were little, and his second thought is enough to have him sitting up abruptly, fear shaking his hands.  
It couldn't be...  _Ripley_ , could it? This whole thing, it wouldn't be starting all over again, would it? She couldn't have kidnapped him or - he would've fought -  _Vex_ would've fought - his heart gives a few extra pounds in the name of  _where the hell is Vex?_ And the whole cycle of fear starts fresh.  
Suddenly, Percy is having trouble seeing, his breath is getting shallow, and he's really wishing he could trust his legs so he could stand up and pace. 

"Darling?" Comes a soft voice from beside him, sleep weary and confused, but even through his haze, it is unmistakably Vex'ahlia.   
Fuck. Percy wishes she didn't have to see him like this. 

"Sorry," he manages shakily, "I'll be right back."

She catches his shoulder as he tries to push himself off the bed - to no avail - and another worried hum escapes her throat. "Percy, darling, you're alright." He doesn't know when she sat beside him, but she feels practiced in the art of calming people down - Vax, he wonders? Herself? - as she rubs small circles onto his back. "Hey," she says, leaning her chin on his shoulder, and something feels off about this to Percy, "you're alright, I'm here." 

It's right as Vex says  _I'm here_ that Percy recognizes what feels off - she isn't just practiced in the art of calming others in down in general, she's practiced in the art of  _Percy_ , specifically, hands gentle and touch reassuring, voice clear and grounding him with her. It actually makes him more frightened - he's never had a panic attack in front of Vex'ahlia, not that he can remember - and that combined with the fear of the unknown woman earlier, being in Whitestone for some unknown reason - there are far too many unknowns for his liking. His hands tremble aggressively and Vex coos in his ear, hands wrapped around him.

"Shh, shh. It's alright, darling."

This would be easier, he decides, if he wasn't in love with her.

Percy has played off plenty of panic attacks before, so he decides to play off this one. "I'm alright." He says, willing his hands to stop shaking and blinking a few times. His hands stop, for the most part, but he still has some dark spots in his eyesight, so he decides the bed is the safest place to stay for now. Vex interlocks her fingers with his and he tugs away, on instinct.

What he isn't prepared for is the look of hurt that crosses her face, the way she takes his cheek in her palm and says, "Are you sure, darling? You don't seem alright."

He nods and rests his head back as she lets go, allowing the final spots in his vision to clear out. It's just about then that he draws the connection. The only woman in this bed is Vex'ahlia.   
He may have been slow to make the first connection, but the rest come rushing through immediately after. Vex is in a bed, with him. They're in Whitestone. He was not previously aware of either of these things, before going to bed.

"I think," he begins, trying the words slowly out on his tongue, "that I might not be the person who's supposed to be here."

In a minute, Vex is at his throat, examining him. "Who the fuck are you, pretending to be Percival?"

 _Okay_ , that was not where he thought this was going. His assumption was different universe or perhaps alternate timeline, but he assumed he had accidentally inhabited someone else's body - Vex was a baroness at Whitestone, it was a fair assumption that he would allow her to live there, alternate timeline or not, right?

"I... am Percival," he replies slowly, taking in the ring shining on Vex's third finger with as much grace as he can, "I just was..." He pauses. What _was_ he doing? Vex relaxes a hair and hums. "Sleeping?" She offers. "Being a  _lovely, warm_ pillow, until you woke me up?" There's a smirk on her lips and the words nearly pass him by because he's focusing so damn hard on it. "It's alright, darling." Vex says, pecking him gently on the lips, "I forgive you. I like to make sure you make it through your bouts unharmed, after all."

Percy decides then and there that he has to get the words out - if Vex keeps going soft on him, he's going to forget and just kiss her, logic and reason be damned.

"I... last night - I was with you and Vox Machina at your father's estate. He was... granting us an audience, and I corrected your name on the list. Made you a baroness. You deserved it, though I imagine you already know that." He smiles wryly. "After, we... drank. Quite a bit. I remember thinking  _I've never been out so long alone with her before_ , and then I woke up here. So you can imagine my surprise," he finishes dryly, "at waking up quite so close to you, in a place quite far from where I went to bed."

Vex pauses, uncertain. He can see it in her eyes, the way her gears are turning. Finally, she says, "I haven't thought about falling in love with you for quite some time, Percy."

He holds his breath.

"I remember that night, because you wouldn't just  _kiss me already_ ," she teases, and he huffs out a laugh. "No, you had to be a gentleman! Making a lady blush like that and then not kissing her - under the  _stars,_ Percival!" 

"I don't recall a blush," he says, and then he sees her turn red, a gasp that turns into a laugh escaping her lips. "You - you  _were_ watching me! You never told me if you were or not, I suppose you think you're too  _suave_ , but I always knew, Percival, I knew I encouraged you along."

"Darling, I'm  _always_ watching you." He says, before he realizes that's not fair to either of them. Vex'ahlia bites her lip.

"Well, now I'd really like to kiss you." She says, almost regretfully, and Percy hums. "I haven't kissed you yet, though I suppose you know that well enough. I don't know it's fair to...  _you_ to have my first kiss with you with...  _you_..." 

Vex snorts. 

"I think," she says, furling her hand into the top of his shirt, "It's only fair we get you back to me."

"I think it's crazy that  _you're_ the reason  _you're_ getting me to kiss  _you_ ," Percy replies, emphasizing every you and unsure of which one counts for which Vex'ahlia. They're the same, he's gathered, since she remembers the night and all so clearly - or rather, he hopes, as she smirks at him, tilting her head. 

"I know, a girl has to do all the work around here just to get kissed.  _Crazy_."

He chuckles, a little ruefully, and she gets closer to him. On instinct, he imagines, since she floods with color afterwards. "What?" 

"Do you... do you think you're my future?" He asks, and she smiles.

"I certainly hope so," she says, cradling his cheek, "but either way," and they both straighten up, nervous for future and past selves, "let's get you home to find out."

In the end, the way he gets home is under the stars, passing a flask between him and a woman who may eventually be his wife, her hand dancing nervously between their seated forms until he takes it into his lap. Percy presses a kiss to her hand, right above her ring, and thinks  _I've never been more in love with this woman_ , and then wakes up - well, not at home, but under the right tree, this time.

Vex'ahlia - his Vex'ahlia, and he hopes the other, older Vex'ahlia is having a moment with her Percival - wakes up just around when he does, blinking against his shoulder. Her hand is cradled between his, because fate loves some pretty symbolism, and she smiles at him, shining as the sky turns pink.

"Sorry I'm so close," she begins, used to Percy stiffening up at surprise contact, and Percy turns his head and breathes, "No problem," onto her lips before kissing her.  
Vex loops her free hand up to cradle his cheek and when they break away, she's grinning wildly.

"What made you do that," she asks, fond. 

"Oh, you." He replies, and she kisses him again.


End file.
